CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
The Princess of Santa Clarita
12-21-07
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
Established in 1965, Princess Cruises Lines continues to grow in Santa Clarita.
Lured away from Century City in 1998 with a 15-year guarantee of no business tax,
the Princess Cruise Lines continues to grow.
Today over 1,800 employees are housed in seven buildings in Valencia. There are
lawyers, accountants, retail buyers, dancers, art and jewelry experts, doctors, nurses,
photographers, videographers and customer service personnel.
This year, Princess saw the largest gain in employment of any company (250 jobs) in
Santa Clarita, making Princess the area's largest private employer.
The headquarters, located along the pedestrian-oriented Valencias Town Center Drive
helped to establish a job base for a surrounding collection of apartments, condominiums
and retail stores, creating a downtown feeling for the community.
Princess has since sprawled into a campus of buildings, including one that, since 2004,
has housed its sister company Cunard Lines.
In 1999, the company ran five ships; today, including Cunard's luxury liners, there are 18.
Cunard, the company's high-end brand, operates the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen
Elizabeth 2, and on December 7 will launch the Queen Victoria.
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
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